Credit Information

Credit Problems? Heres How to Manage Your Creditors


If you find that creditors are calling you almost daily or that one of more of your bills has been turned over to a collection agency, you should know how to manage your debts.

First, prioritize then or rank them in terms of the ones that can give you the most trouble the soonest. If you're three months behind on your utility bill and the company is threatening to cut off your power, you must deal with this debt first. Then deal with your other debts in descending order of "threat level."

Second, be proactive. Don't wait for creditors to call you. If you are behind in your payments or have a payment coming due that you know you won't be able to meet, call the creditor. Tell the company's representative why you are having money troubles. Be sure to give a real reason for your problems such as a divorce or loss of a job, and not just some feeble excuse.

If you can give your creditors a real reason for being in financial trouble, they may be sympathetic and willing to work with you.

Next, contact any creditors where you are more than a month behind to arrange payment plans. Explain to them that you know you are behind in your payments but that you want to make a payment arrangement. Let them know what you can afford to pay this month and in future months. Make certain they know you intend to make full payment eventually.

Be sure you know what you can afford to pay

Be sure to calculate just how much you can afford to pay a creditor before contacting the company. Then, do not agree to pay any more than this, no matter what the company demands. Get all payment plans in writing. If the company's representative does not volunteer to mail you the plan in writing, send a letter requesting that he or she do so.

Keep accurate records

Also be sure to keep an accurate log of all phone conversations with your creditors and copies of all correspondence. This way, you will have a good record of what's going on, to whom you spoke last, the date of that conversation and its result. If you keep accurate records, you will always be able to defend yourself against claims that you have been unresponsive or uncooperative. Once you arrange a payment plan that is agreeable to a creditor, make sure you stick with it. The best way to repair your credit is to say what you will do and then do what you have said so that your creditors will see that you have become more credit worthy.

Working with your creditors by following these suggestions is hard work but it is an important step toward debt reduction and credit repair.

For FREE help with debt and credit, subscribe today to Douglas Hanna's free email newsletter "8 Simple Steps to Debt Relief" at http://www.all-in-one-info.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Maktoob

Credit still tight as Europe scrambles, Fed boosts
The Associated Press - 1 hour ago
NEW YORK (AP) — The jammed credit markets barely budged Monday as European governments scrambled to prop up their failing banks and investors waited for ...
US urges global action on credit crisis Reuters
Treasuries Rally as Stocks Tumble, Company and Muni Bonds Fall Bloomberg
Fed ramps up year-end loans; global repsonse urged guardian.co.uk
Wall Street Journal Blogs - Barron's
all 375 news articles


The Associated Press

NABE: Credit Turmoil Tips US Into Recession
Wall Street Journal Blogs, NY - 3 hours ago
Credit-market deterioration in the second half of September is enough to push the US economy into recession, forecasters for the National Association for ...
Credit Crisis to Deepen US Recession, Business Economists Say Bloomberg
Economists getting gloomier about outlook MSNBC
US to recover in spring, economists' group says MarketWatch
Reuters - The Associated Press
all 238 news articles


Credit Karma Launches New Credit Card Recommendation Service Based ...
MarketWatch - 5 hours ago
The new service provides customized recommendations by credit score range using a computation of current credit card information and overall consumer card ...
the fake identity racket Sydney Morning Herald
all 135 news articles


WELT ONLINE

Investors expect volatility as credit woes persist
The Associated Press - 17 hours ago
Those steps are the latest sign that the troubles of US banks, which have all but paralyzed credit markets, are affecting the financial systems of other ...
Video: Stocks Decline on Unemployment, Factory Reports AssociatedPress
Stocks to struggle despite rescue plan Reuters
How the Credit Crunch is Hitting Home U.S. News & World Report
TheStreet.com - New York Times
all 3,219 news articles


Carmakers in the credit coal mine
CBC.ca, Canada - 3 hours ago
But Wall Street's high-profile collapse, and the related tightening of credit for all businesses, has made a difficult situation even worse — and stirred ...
Credit crisis adds to pressures on auto dealers The Associated Press
all 215 news articles


Will Coal Be Cashing In On the New Tax Credit?
Wall Street Journal - 13 hours ago
The bill, signed into law Friday, makes alternative jet fuel made from liquefied coal eligible for the first time for a 50-cents-a-gallon tax credit. ...
Congress Extends Refined Coal Tax Credit Utility Products Magazine
Congress Passes Biodiesel Tax Credit Extension Wisconsin Ag Connection
Arizona solar, wind officials buoyed by bailout passage, credit ... Bizjournals.com
Seattle Post Intelligencer - Bizjournals.com
all 505 news articles


The Canadian Press

Bush: Bailout plan will take some time
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 52 minutes ago
Bush said the purpose of the package was to unlock the nation's credit freeze "to get money moving again." But, he added: "We don't want to rush into the ...
Bush: Financial rescue plan will take some time The Associated Press
all 623 news articles


Yahoo

US STOCKS-Credit worry set to sink Wall St at open
guardian.co.uk, UK - 3 hours ago
By Ellis Mnyandu NEW YORK, Oct 6 (Reuters) - US stocks headed for a slide at the open on Monday as concerns about the widening fallout from the credit ...
Stocks stumble at open CNN
all 15 news articles


Thanh Nien Daily

Volatility the only short-term guarantee
NEWS.com.au, Australia - 16 hours ago
While the Reserve Bank is expected to lower rates by 50 basis points when it meets tomorrow, a global credit shortage will maintain banks' interest in ...
Why This 'Credit Crisis' Hits Everyone Wall Street Journal
Check credit market to see if bailout works San Francisco Chronicle
Sinking Rapidly Into Depression Money and Markets
CNNMoney.com - CNN
all 1,079 news articles


Sydney Morning Herald

The great credit card swindle
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia - 3 hours ago
AUSTRALIANS lost more than half a billion dollars in credit card fraud last year, and security experts warn that banks are not doing enough to protect ...
Security you can bank on still elusive Sydney Morning Herald
all 258 news articles

Credit - Google News

home | site map
© 2006